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Next time someone tells you, "Well even the poorest of us today eats better than a king in the middle ages" think about this quality "inflation". What is the cu
by cco 7y ago
Next time someone tells you, "Well even the poorest of us today eats better than a king in the middle ages" think about this quality "inflation". What is the current cost today of putting high quality, wild meat on the table along with seasonally ripe and fresh fruit? What about high quality beer with no use of malt substitutes?
There are a number of measures, availability being one, where our modern food production system shines but on a quality measure it really falls flat against many times throughout history. The caveat there is obviously "history" is gigantic and runs the gamut from poor slaves eating gruel and starving to a patrician in Rome during its height or to a hunter gatherer in a food rich environment.
All that to say, I don't think this comparison is so simple, it is incredibly nuanced.
- hueving 7y ago>What is the current cost today of putting high quality, wild meat on the table along with seasonally ripe and fresh fruit? What about high quality beer with no use of malt substitutes? Still easily within reach of anyone but the poor. Sounds like pretty standard yuppie organic restaurant material.
- dannyw 7y agoIt will cost you a little bit more in time and money, but go to your local (legitimate) farmers market and you’ll have quality meat, fresh veggies and fruit, and your local microbrewery will serve a cold one with no malt substitutes for a tiny bit more. Shopping local is so underrated.
- joe_the_user 7y agoFarmer's markets can be a good deal for what they sell but a lot brewpub is never to going to come close to the price of Budweiser or even more supermarket label beer. "A tiny bit more" here is $5 or $1. And fast food is a much cheaper deal than if you cook veggies and organic burgers yourself - because quality does cost money.
- fulafel 7y agoI would wager the average consumer today would be very disappointed in beer, meat and fruit from the middle ages (~500-1400 ad). There was no refrigeration, no hops (rare localized use of hops in beer started just at the end of middle ages), fruit hadn't been cultivated very far, etc.